Dean Kremer took to the mound in the second game of two tonight for the Baltimore Orioles against Seattle. As can often be the case for young pitchers, it was the second time through the order that got Kremer. In the first and second innings he got ahead of hitters. In the third they started figuring him out. Kremer’s line: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K.
As I said, he fared well in the first two innings. Then he started putting guys on base, and while he tried valiantly, he just couldn’t re-adjust fast enough to limit the damage. Seattle took a 1-0 lead on Seager’s sac fly-RBI. That came with the bases loaded, which left three runners still on base. However they cleared quickly, as Marmolejos followed with a three-run homer.
The Birds had gotten themselves down in the second game of the doubleheader just as they did in the first inning. However this time it was really short lived. The O’s would load the bases themselves in the last of the third, and Maikel Franco‘s bases-clearing double would cut the Seattle lead to 4-3.
Later in the inning Ryan Mountcastle would tie the score at four with an RBI-single. But this time they didn’t stop at just tying the score. They would eventually take the lead…
…and they would do so in the last of the fourth. Cedric Mullins‘ RBI-double would give the O’s their first lead of the doubleheader. Later in the inning Anthony Santander would add a sac fly-RBI, giving the Birds a 6-4 lead. Insurance runs never hurt – especially in seven inning games.
Manager Brandon Hyde brought in reliever Adam Plutko, who pitched a very successful fifth and sixth inning. Mind you, these doubleheader’s are harsh on teams’ bullpens. Even in their shortened forms. Hyde opted to leave Plutko in for a rare three inning save.
However that was almost a big mistake. An understandable one, but it almost bit Hyde and the Al’s in the derrière. Plutko gave up a two-run homer to Haggerty in the top of the seventh – which mind you, was the last inning. That tied the game at six, when it appeared the O’s would cruise to snapping their four-game losing streak.
But as the title suggests, all’s well that ends well. With a runner on base in the last of the seventh, Ramon Urias‘ walk off RBI-single won it for the Birds. You would have preferred to not have to go to the bottom of the inning, however all that’s important is that the Orioles won the game. And having lost four straight, this win was a big one.
The series continues tomorrow night at Camden Yards. Matt Harvey gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Justin Dunn. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.
Birdland Crush 